October 9/09 16:01 pm - Cycling in the news

"It's about morale. With weak legs and a good head, you can go a long way. With good legs and a weak head you go nowhere." -Paul Kimmage

Cyclists upset about long and grinding roadsRide it and rate it.That’s the invitation from the Comox Valley Cycling Coalition for all local bicyclists to participate in a Chip Seal Ride on Oct. 18.

“Since last summer, cyclists have expressed concern that some of our popular cycling routes had been ‘repaired’ using a very rough grade of chip seal,” said CVCC president Ed Schum. “The (rock aggregate) surface is not just rough, it is also uneven, making it very bumpy and difficult to ride a bike on.”Read more: Comox Valley Record

Bikes Banned from Lasalle Brunet Park TrailsCyclists risk life and limb to enjoy their hobby in most parts of car-crazed Essex County.

Now, instead of taking measures to support this healthy lifestyle choice, one municipality, LaSalle, has thrown up a roadblock. Town council's decision to ban cyclists from the unpaved pathsRead more: Windsor Star

Where bikes are heading: a look at the trendsBike makers keep tinkering to give us a smoother, more convenient, more stylish ride: bikes long enough to carry another passenger and groceries. Bikes with batteries so you don't have to break a sweat. Aerodynamic bikes with little wind resistance.

"In the bike world, there have always been a bunch of trends going on at once," said Loren Mooney, editor-in-chief of Bicycling magazine. "It's because a bike is such a multipurpose tool. It's a toy. It's a piece of exercise equipment. It's a mode of transportation. And so really it's very common to have many trends at once."

Merckx rubbishes claims Astana received preferential treatmentAccording to reports in French newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro earlier this week, the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) have issued a ten-page document detailing how they feel Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, among others including Astana team-mate Lance Armstrong, was treated favourably by the UCI testers.

But Belgium's Merckx, who claimed the yellow jersey on five occasions between 1969 and 1974 and won 34 individual stages during the Tour de France, believes it's time the AFLD stopped victimising cycling.Read more: MoreThanTheGames

Are women cyclists in more danger than men?Women cyclists make up a far higher proportion of deaths involving lorries than men. Why?Read more: BBC

Bicycle accident datapoint of the dayIn the UK, men account for 72% of bike journeys, 84% of fatalities, and 81% of recorded injuries. That makes a certain amount of sense: men tend to be more aggressive cyclists, and that means their chances of having an accident rise.

But there’s a twist when it comes to truck-cyclist collisions in particular:

This year, seven of the eight people killed by lorries in London have been women…

There are no national figures but there’s little reason to think it is any different.

In this particular case, it seems, aggression helps, and timidity can be fatal:Read more: Blog

Cycling Mechanic WantedExperienced mechanics who know their Shimano Di2 electronic shifters from their torque wrenches are invited to apply for a position with Team Sky.

The new role will involve substantial international travel away from the team's bases in Manchester and Mechelen, Belgium. salery? £45,000 to £55,000Cycling Weekly

Sexy cyclists: Hands up who fancies men with shaved legs?The promoters of the Cycle Show are peddling the notion that cyclists are more attractive than other sportsmen.In a recent poll, 36% of the women asked found men who cycle attractive, against 17% for football and 14% for rugby. Read more: Guardian

Portland bike festival is bigger and bikierThey call it a Manifest.

That may seem a little heavy-handed, but the organizers behind this six-week festival exploring the bike's influence on culture, sustainability and urban design have created a packed schedule of events that promises to be not just thought-provoking but fun. From the practical to the political, in its second year, Oregon Manifest has come back bigger, better and bikier.Read more: OregonLive.com

Tour de Fat is coming to Tempe (Arizona) on Saturday, October 10 to encourage people rely less on cars and turn to bicycling to reduce traffic, pollution and obesity.

The cycling festival will set up at Fiesta Gardens and is intended to raise money for bicycle and environmental charities.

Pinarello Bikes for Team SKYTeam Sky has agreed a three-year technical partner deal with Italian Bikemanufacturer Cicli Pinarello. Pinarello, who have been making bikes for more than five decades, will supply the frames, forks, seat post and stems to the new professional road team. The announcement brings the first major technical partner to Team Sky and follows the award of a UCI licence to the team. Read more: Syklene

True Temper Files for Chapter 11Frame tubing, forks, handlebar, seat post, stems and bottle cage maker True Temper Sports Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, October 8. In a Reuters report it is said that the company is hurt by the downturn in the golf equipment industry; the other main business line of True Temper.Read more: Bike Europe

Armstrong to take on Ironman Worlds in 2011 according to coachLance Armstrong will compete in the in the 2011 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii according to his coach Chris Carmichael. Carmichael was speaking in Kona as he was there for the 2011 World Championships this weekend, on a video posted on EveryManTri.com.Read more: Road.cc

2012 Velodrome progress ahead of scheduleWork is underway on the steel structure, which will make up the distinctive double-curved shape of the stadium.

Work on the structure began in March, and is nearing completion ahead of plan.

Chief executive of the ODA David Higgins, said: “The Velodrome will be another landmark new venue in the Olympic Park and with work underway on the structural steelwork we can begin to see the striking architecture of the Velodrome take shape.”Read more: NCE

Bicycling is a way to fight Parkinson's disease for an 81-year old patientBob Wilson is not a quitter, and the Parkinson's Center of Oregon at Oregon Health & Science University will benefit from his steely determination October 10 when he and other members of "Team Bob" mount specially constructed bicycles for a fund-raising outing at The Springs at Tanasbourne.Read more: The Medical News

Riding the rails: Bike the Great Allegheny Passage for flat-out, inexpensive funIn the end, after crossing six soaring bridges, burrowing through fourmountain tunnels, journeying over the Eastern Continental Divide and taking in 330 miles of jaw-dropping vistas, a formerly dubious Lolly Marchant, 61, dismounts her bicycle and declares that given the chance, she'd do it all over again.

Marchant has just reached the end of the Great Allegheny Passage, one in a vast network of bike/walking paths cleaved from abandoned rail lines. Stretching 136 miles from Cumberland, Md., to nearby Duquesne, Pa., the trail links to the C&O Canal towpath that starts in Washington, D.C., creating a traffic-free cyclists' haven.Read more: APP.com